Maybe it's not good to begin with a disclaimer but........First of all, don't be too alarmed.  That mirror I painted high gloss pink is not an antique, it's just a foam reproduction.  The dresser and chest of drawers I painted we're not valuable and the original paint finishes were damaged too...(I don't like the idea of ruining antiques either.)  I decided they would belong to my daughter for many years, (so why not paint them to match her personality).  I also decided that though these colors are loud, that (with green dominating) we would not too easily tire of them.  Also, If you were worried about how much sleep a child can get in a chaotic room like this, we've had no problems.  It's all good :)

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The main bodies of the dresser, chest of drawers, and two nightstands I decided would be an apple green (that could be later glazed over fairly easily to be toned down.)  I found that these Valspar spray-paint colors coincided nicely with the green, with the bedspread and the overall multi-color theme in the space (and they could also be repainted later, to white or another color when she's older).

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I sanded the bodies of the dresser and chest inside (normally not something I'd do but I ran a fan in the window and kept the door shut).  I had a lot of vacuuming to do afterwards but carrying those pieces down stairs would've been a pain. The drawers were sanded and prepped outside.  Always be sure your surfaces to be painted are free of dust (from sanding) and dirt before painting, otherwise your paint will not hold up nearly as well as it should.  

 

NOTE: I started painting the mirror without priming, even though I knew better.  Some of the foam on the mirror was exposed and dissolving as I painted it.  (Because the solvents in spraypaint dissolve foam.)  I ended up taking much more paint than it should have.

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The apple green is an oil based paint that I brushed and rolled on (with a foam roller for oil paint).  It's in highgloss, which is very durable (kids are hard on furniture).  The colors and gloss are an unexpected twist on these traditionally styled pieces (like on the mirror too).  I like to mix it up a bit and I like that little bit of irony thrown into design.  The handles seemed to need to be pink...no other color would work as well for some reason.  I sprayed the drawers and handles outside, but painted the bodies of the furniture inside,  I had more than a month to make the room before my daughters birthday, so knowing the furniture would take a loooong time to dry, I painted it before I did anything else. 

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I didn't really touch on how to go about painting furniture, let me know if you'd like me to better detail that process.  With the internet being full of tutorials, it didn't seem necessary. Oh, by the way, I cut that Cat in the Hat portrait out of one of our books... He seemed to belong in a frame.  :) 

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Thanks for stopping by!